Category Archives: Commentary and Critiques

Katherine Vaz post

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I am so disappointed that I did not know about Katherine Vaz teaching at Baruch,. That would have been such a great opportunity to read the book, ask questions about it right from the author, and ask the author about some tricks she uses in writing. We had a small chance to ask this writer several questions at the event and next day in class, which was nice.

I read some of her stories and they seemed to me gloomy and sad, as if the writer went through all these difficulties in life herself. In one story, the death of her father was mentioned, and she passed on to the reader a very suppressed, horrible feeling.

Not only is she brilliant at composing the story and telling it to us, but she also knows how to capture the reader. I loved the stylistic devices she uses. She is all about metaphors and similes: for instance, when she writes about the imprisoned mother and son, she describes the mother as very attached to son, hugging him all the time, and she has “hands like ropes,” or “her skin was perfect, soft as an eggplant,” or “eggs smooth as river stones.”

Sometimes she uses two words that do not normally go together, making her own oxymoron: so, in her stories a character can drink a voice, or someone can be scarlet with anger, or the moon can excerpt a round cataract.

This kind of writing is based on the skillfulness of using a word and changing it, so that the reader is stunned, shocked and thus made to remember the author.

I wish Baruch had more opportunities to bring writers like Katherine Vaz so that even those students who miss a space in the class have another great writer to register for.

Katherine Vaz Post. By Mayara Guimaraes

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My life as a writer, Katherine Vaz.
Get Inspired!!!

During her “one and only” semester at Baruch College, writer Katherine Vaz gave the students of a journalism Feature class the privilege of having a private conversation with her. During one hour, Vaz told the class about her personal experiences and her inspiration to write, while giving advice on how to stop a writer’s block.

It all started with a question about the amount of death in her stories. “I think that is really hard to write fiction that doesn’t have issues that connect to loss. But the true theme of most of my stories is how human being find happiness in life, or different ways in which people find happiness, despite the loss they face. Fiction is an exploration of how people find joy and how they connect,” said the author.

Vaz grew up nearby a little town that is known as being the capital of the artichoke. She was surrounded by tumultuous things while growing up, like the Vietnam War, and this influenced her writing. In one of her books, titled “Our Lady of the Artichokes,” Vaz uses many of her memories and experiences to create several of the short stories that composes the book. “When you write fiction you have this germ, that sometimes is real, and it helps you to create a completely fictional story. I see this like instruments on writing fiction stories,” said Vaz.

Friends influenced Vaz by giving her ideas, and some of these ideas have become incredible short stories. “ A friend of mine once said to me, why don’t you write about when you had to ride the bus to go to school? And I did,” said Vaz. Indeed the story, “Taking a Stitch in a Dead Man’s Arm” is the story of a girl who takes the bus to school, and other things like losing her dad, and getting rid of fear. This story’s title was also inspired by one of the author’s father’s memories.

“ Writing fiction really isn’t about writing about personal things. It is good to have a filter when writing because you might not want to expose the life of people you love, or even yours. I have made the decision that what I draw on is not about the personal moments, but the feeling behind them, because that makes it all very much authentic,” said Vaz.

Vaz said she discovered she wanted to be a writer at the age of 12. But things didn’t just come easily after that. She went to college during the 70’s, and even in this “interesting decade” she made the decision to write three hours everyday, while giving herself exercises in order to learn how to write well.

“ I discovered that I wanted to be a writer in a classroom. I remember we had to write sentences with five new words, which we had to learn everyday. And that specific day I wrote a sentence, and I cannot remember what I wrote, but the sentence almost flew away from me. It was such a moment to realize how the sentence just happened, and how easily it happened, and at the moment I just knew that I was going to be a writer,” shared Vaz. “ I spent 3 hours everyday writing. It was just like an exercise I forced myself to do. I don’t think I have anything saved from this time. But I was waiting for that moment I had in the classroom, when I knew who I was. But those hours were very important, I was learning to make sentences.”
Vaz’s stories in the “Our Lady of the Artichokes” collection are also very much connected with her father. He is still alive and is Vaz’s best friend. Being around him seems to have helped shape the writer’s mind.

“ The idea of sitting around in the middle of six kids growing up, and have the ability to do something beautiful without any need of awarding in the end, is a gift that my father had, and it was so important for me to grow up surrounded by that,” said Vaz.

Katherine Vaz also told the students that when she was making a living by selling short stories to magazines she would buy other literary magazines and books because she liked to think that one day someone would be buying her work, too. “It was my way to give it back to the universe,” said Vaz.

(Sharing this conversation with you today, is my way, to give back to the universe because Vaz truly inspired me, and I know many others like me need to know her message.)
Mayara Guimaraes

Katherine Vaz Assignment: Reflection

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I am very thankful that we had the opportunity to meet and hear from Katherine Vaz in class.

 I attended her reading in the library building and it was exceptional. She is a gifted reader, and has mastered the ability to enchant the audience. I was not originally familiar with her work outside of this class assignment, but I am glad that I had this chance to learn about her work and her novels.

I loved the excerpts that she read at the reading and I did appreciate her comical statements at the event. She made the whole reading come to life. Her story is filled with vivid illustrations and I loved the descriptions. They definitely were captivating and engaging.

It was kind of her to take time from her schedule to come and visit the classroom. I really enjoyed hearing her re-telling of her background and where she came from. Also, I liked most that she took time to share with us the writing routine and practice that she had undergone in efforts to become a great writer. She was relatable, funny, quirky and a true joy. Her stories about Europe were my favorite; they made me smile. Her visit was the highlight of my day.

I truly admire all of the work she has done. I can’t wait to read the work that she will be publishing in the future, for it appears to be one for the books!

Katherine is filled with creativity and boldness that is inspiring. As an aspiring food writer, I hope to have the same love for writing, and for appreciating life. What I noticed and now love about her visit, is that unlike most speakers who often visit to lecture to a class. With Katherine it was different, having a conversation with her had felt like I was hearing great advice and pearls of wisdom from my favorite aunt.

Her pearls of wisdom were very helpful, and was truly welcomed. I often encounter writers block, and she demonstrated a few great suggestion on the best way to recover from one. She noted the times that she struggled with writing, or conveying a thought on a page. I am grateful that she was so thoughtful to answer my question. I valued her advice and her answer was very helpful.

She said that the way to incorporate the right words in a story is by using simple adjectives and taking time to choose my words wisely. I walked away from the lesson that day, realizing that my work has potential and that with practice I will be able to use the write adjectives as a powerful game changer in my writing.

Thank you very much Professor Bernstein for inviting her to class, it was a great lesson.

The Girl In the Window

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While reading this article by Lane DeGregory I could not help but to feel sad for this little girl Danielle. I felt some sympathy for her mother who is clearly delusional and probably mentally ill herself. The title of the article was a good choice; it gave the feature a sense of mystery which matched the writers tone. DeGregory told the story in a layered sort of way; getting deeper and deeper into each individual of this story before showing the relation between them.
DeGregory’s structured delivery of the story plays with your emotions; ‘The Feral Child’ made me angry at Michelle, ‘Becoming Dani’ made me feel sorry for Danielle, while ‘The mother’ made me sympathize with Michelle’s evident mental illness but overall still upset with her actions.
It’s sad to know that child services were called to their home on two occasions but yet they failed to get a sense of the abuse taking place. It’s a miracle that Danielle even survived under those conditions for so long. Danielle’s strength to stay alive in those dank conditions will be put to the test in her journey to independence and mental development. It’s just sad to know that this is not a mental illness she was born with; this was the result of years of negligence. I commend her foster parents; they were exactly the people Danielle needed. I enjoyed the article, as sad as it made me feel, it gave me hope that things could get better for Dani.

Reporter’s Notes: Hurricane Sandy in Morris Park

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It has been about two weeks since Hurricane Sandy has ravaged Nyc and the tri-state area. Unfortunately, many are still suffering and trying to rebuild their lives day by day. I’m truly thankful that I wasn’t greatly affected by the hurricane, with the exception of the effects is has caused on my school work. In my neighborhood; Morris Park, the most significant issues were power outages, fallen trees, and scattered debris. It was surprising that the items and trees I pass daily in my neighborhood became weapons and a source of harm towards the residents of the area.In front of my cousin’s home, which is only 3-4 blocks away from my house; a large tree that stood in front of her house, was torn out of the ground by the strong winds.

In front of my cousin’s home, a large tree is uprooted and tears down powerlines

The tree was entangled with the power lines to the entire street, so, as the tree split in half, it tore down the power lines leaving the street and the homes in complete darkness for over a week and a half. I do commend the sanitation department, with the exception of my cousin’s block, all debris and branches were being picked up the next day. They (sanitation) were willing to help residents get rid of large branches that were blocking the roads.
Although Morris Park’s physical damage was minimal, the rat race for gas by thursday morning was ridiculous. There was a line that wrapped around the entire block of vehicles waiting to fill up, and an even longer line of gas container toting individuals. At one point the atmosphere became so hectic that the need for a police presence was necessary.
Hurricane Sandy has definitely shaken the north eastern part of the country up a bit. The nonchalant attitude of ” it won’t happen to us,” has been diminished. I am proud to witness the city come together and help each other out during this hard time. This is a testament to what New yorkers are made of, we have tried to regain normalcy as much as possible, and attempt to rebuild what is lost. This is what we represent, resilience.